Tasty and a bit of Fun

Thought I would share with you the best recipe I have ever found for Pumpkin soup. Nice and warming with a touch of curry spice. Lovely at this time of the year. If prepared with vegetable stock it is suitable for vegetarians.

2 pounds ( 900g ) of pumpkin flesh, cut into cubes

1 large onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 flat teaspoon of curry powder, mild or medium strength
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground pepper
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon sunflower oil

1. boil the pumpkin cubes and the bay leaf in some water until nearly tender

2. sweat the chopped onion in the oil until transparent

3. add the crushed garlic, trying not to burn it

4. mix in the curry spice and stir

5. pour the cooked pumpkin into the mixture

6. add potato cubes, stock and salt and pepper, simmer until cooked

Blend to a creamy consistency.

I store this in plastic containers and as soon as it has gone cold I pop them in the freezer. Lovely served with crusty bread and a dollop of Creme Fraiche.
 
As well as a tasty meal, you can also make an item of jewellery out of the seeds! I cut the pumpkin in half and then scoop out all the soft squidgy bits along with the seeds, a bit messy but necessary. Wash the seeds in hot water, dry and spread them out on a baking tray which has been covered with silicon paper. Pop them into the oven at 100-110 degrees and leave them for about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on them, your oven is not very hot but they can go too crispy.
 

HEY PRESTO!

 

I coloured the seeds with alcohol ink, very carefully put a hole in the top, bent an eye pin and put that through the hole, as if you were going fishing and then dipped them in the Melt Pot. I think the orangey ones look a bit like Amber. You could go on and do a number of these and thread them into a necklace. It brought back a few memories for me making these. As kids we used to dry the melon seeds and make ourselves necklaces and bracelets. Mum would boil them with onion skins to colour them brown or use the flowers from Gorse bushes to make them yellow.